What Are You Afraid Of?

Yesterday at Greenbelt we wrapped up our series called Resolutions: Living the Life You Know You Should.  This has been a really great series to get us to look closely at our lives and ask ourselves why don't we live the life that we want to... but we just don't seem to be able to make the necessary changes.

I concluded the series talking about being FEARLESS.

Let's face it... if we were really honest with each other, everyone is afraid of something.  It could be big things like death, illness, injury, or lost of employment.  Or it could be little things like afraid of letting people down.  Regardless of what fear you have... the truth is, we all have them.

And I believe that's why the Bible has so much to say about being FEARLESS.  From beginning to end the Bible is constantly telling us that we don't need to be afraid.

Fear will constantly get in the way of the life that you want to have.  Fear will always cripple you and keep you stuck.  And that's a biblical concept that's true whether you believe in God or not.  That is just the way human beings are wired.  It's the way our flesh just works.  Even when your head and heart know something is possible... the stomach just doesn't want to follow sometimes!

For the church, this is can flat out stop the work that God wants to accomplish through a congregation.  Whether it's being afraid of change, afraid of what people will think, afraid of taking a risk, afraid of spending some money, afraid of connecting with your community.

The apostle Paul reminds the church that we don't need to be afraid.  In 2 Timothy 1 we reminds us that we have to live as who God already made us!  We don't have to strive to become something better.  God has already given us we need to be fearless - His Spirit!  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline."  We don't have to live in fear because we have been given a spirit of power and of love!

So what are you afraid of?  What seems to keep holding you back?  Are you letting a spirit of fear try and replace the spirit that God actually gave you?

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